Ford recalling nearly 400,000 cars over defective door latches

Ford is calling back 389,585 2012-2014 Fiesta subcompacts, as well as 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans over faulty door latches that could break.

According to The Detroit News (hat tip to Car and Driver), three incidents have been linked to the defective latches. Ford says the cars affected by the recall “may experience a broken pawl spring tab, which typically results in a condition where the door will not latch.”

In the event of a defective latch and if owners can latch the door, it’s possible the door could unlatch while driving and increase the risk of injuries.

Three injuries have been linked to the recall – in two cases, non-latching doors bounced back after being slammed shut. The third involved a door flying open and striking another car in a parking lot.

Of the recalled vehicles, 337,000 are located in the U.S., while 30,000 cars are located in Canada and 22,000 are in Mexico.

Ford says it will replace all four latches on affected cars. This is the fourth recall from Ford over defective latches – so far, 1.1 million Explorer, Escape, Taurus, Police Interceptor and Lincoln MKS models had door latches replaced over separate recalls.